Finding and Downloading AI Models
Where to find the best open-source AI models and how to download them safely.
Table of Contents
01The Best Model Sources
There are several trusted platforms where you can download AI models. Always pay attention to the license and only download from known sources.
02Hugging Face
Hugging Face (huggingface.co) is the largest platform for AI models and the standard for the research community. Here you'll find official model releases from Stability AI, Meta, Mistral, and many others. Models are documented in model cards with information about architecture, training, usage rights, and benchmarks. Download via browser, Git LFS, or the Hugging Face CLI.
03Civitai
Civitai (civitai.com) is the largest community platform specifically for Stable Diffusion models, LoRAs, and embeddings. Its strength lies in the community: ratings, example images, comments, and usage tips. Particularly useful for specialized fine-tunes and LoRAs. Note: Check the license of each model – not all are cleared for commercial use.
04Additional Sources
Additional recommended platforms:
- Ollama Library (ollama.com/library): Curated collection of LLMs, directly usable in Ollama
- GitHub Releases: Many model developers release directly on GitHub
- GGUF Sources: TheBloke and bartowski on Hugging Face offer extensive GGUF conversions
- ComfyUI Manager: Lists required models and links to downloads
05Security Tips
When downloading models, keep in mind:
- Prefer Safetensors over CKPT – Safetensors cannot contain harmful code
- Only download from known, trusted sources
- Check the model license before use (especially for commercial projects)
- Verify the file size – unexpected sizes may indicate manipulated files
- Use a virus scanner for downloaded files
06Organizing Models
Create a clear folder structure for your models. ComfyUI expects models in specific subfolders (checkpoints, loras, vae, controlnet, etc.). Rename downloaded files descriptively, e.g., 'sdxl-base-v1.0.safetensors' instead of 'model.safetensors'. Create a local note with source URLs and licenses.
Hardware Recommendations
The best hardware for local AI generation. Our recommendations based on price-performance and compatibility.
Storage (SSD)
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